the water tower is a common hang out spot for those in bellworth crossing who are looking for silence and a cool breeze. kai morrow is no exception to this, finding himself there on the evening of april 19th, sometime after sunset. the weight of teddy’s death has put everyone on edge, taking him along with it. he finds himself in the company of none other than victor jackson, who had spotted kai earlier in the evening, and his knee-jerk belief was that his friend was skipping town, and that he needed to intervene. after realizing that isn't in the cards, the two sit on the edge of the water tower, feet dangling and arms resting on the rusted-over railing. time passes with easy conversation, ebbing and flowing from surface level topics to something far more vulnerable, carried by the understanding of two people who have been through far too much together.
despite its serenity, the water tower offers a front-row look at a more sinister view: the security gate at fort hemlock, the one that sticks out like a sore thumb among the trees and discreet fence. it’s difficult not to stare at it, as if watching down a desolate street in anticipation of a collision with a car; you may not see anything, but the possibility remains. as the evening carries on, the only noise around them is the conversation shared by kai and victor, and the sound of a few nearby owls. the security gate remains silent, a barely noticeable buzz coming from its bright overhead light.
somewhere around two in the morning, a loud screeching sound pierces through the trees. a car–one far too polished and expensive to be at fort hemlock–rips down the gravel drive of the base, only coming to an abrupt halt mere inches from the security gate that stands between it and the freedom it seeks. it’s a strange sight to begin with: the stark contrast of a cherry red 1987 porsche 959 against the green and brown hues of fort hemlock. the car looks like it's been plucked off a movie screen and dropped into the damp, overgrown grass against its will. a luxury supercar is an odd addition to the small ohio town, but seeing it behind the fence of the base in the middle of the night creates a sense of dread within the car’s unseen audience: kai and victor suddenly become aware of the fact that they are about to witness something they aren't supposed to see, that their quiet evening to decompress has been interrupted in a way they didn’t expect.
this person isn’t arriving at fort hemlock, they’re fleeing.
the car idles at the gate, security personnel (who not so subtly keep a hand on the gun at their hip) walk up the driver's side window moments after its arrival. while it’s not clear what is being said, it doesn’t take a genius to decipher that they’re going back and forth. anyone within a mile radius can feel the tension radiating off them, the weight of something that isn’t fully known, but still feared. a handful of minutes go by before the engine is cut, with the security guard stepping back and the driver emerging from the car in a huff.
the oppressive floodlight above the gate reveals none other than mayor donovan.
earl donovan has never liked fort hemlock.
as a teen, he had nightmares about the base—its concrete walls, the rumors and stories spread around town only sending his imagination into hyperdrive. that (paired with a genuine fear over the red scare) made the new, looming presence at the south end of bellworth crossing even more frightening. it dulled as time went on, though the fear never quite left him. each earthquake and power outage reminded him of the boogeyman living in his backyard, reminded him to always look over his shoulder when he was alone.
regardless, he was a simple man.
the donovan family was widely regarded for their wealth and status, and earl fit into that role with a studied ease, growing into a man who took more pride in his appearance and reputation than he’d openly admit. he always arrived in a three piece suit and expensive loafers, wanting to turn the heads of those he passed. he wanted the notoriety, would do anything to maintain his power and status as a donovan, but most of all, he wanted money.
the fears he once held for fort hemlock faded over time, even more so when he was elected mayor. each meeting with government officials and every large check they brought with them made it easier for earl to put aside any negative feelings he had about the base. he was happy to accept their bribe, to show that he could be bought for the right price. under the guise that he would only be using the money for the betterment of bellworth crossing, of course. as long as the check cleared, he was happy to push any and every plan to keep eyes off the base, and on to his latest endeavor (while skimming a bit off the top for himself, of course). it didn’t matter if it was by renaming the park, or the grandiose mall built a couple of years ago; if there was something new and shiny to be had, earl donovan would be the first to create a blueprint for it.
this is how he landed in his current situation, the consequence of building trust with people who had far more to lose than a silly, small town election. he stalks down the halls of fort hemlock—a first in his tenure as mayor—shoulder to shoulder with multiple scientists and government officials, all moving with sharp precision as he fights to keep up. with each step, his discomfort grows, not understanding why this meeting couldn’t be at his office. up until this point, that’s always been where they met, gathered around his desk with redacted files and photos to have coded conversations about ‘the future’ and ‘their relationship’.
tonight, dr. stoker, the woman in charge of this unknown operation, insisted on earl seeing for himself what it is that they’ve been working on all these years. she’d given him a vague message about the importance of his understanding, and that this was better grasped in person. her high level clearance (and the unnerving way she carries herself) leaves little room for pushback, so he begrudgingly showed up and endured the extensive security measures that got him to this moment.
they step into an industrial sized elevator, one that takes them several floors below ground. with each passing level, the familiar childhood fears of the base begin to creep in, wrapping their arms tightly around him. on the surface, fort hemlock had always been a typical military base: nothing he hadn’t seen before, or that truly felt out of the ordinary. sure, it had a reputation, but most of the fear surrounding it seemed to be manmade, coming from campfire tales and teenagers gossiping. however, earl knows something far more sinister is going on behind the scenes, that they are hiding something in plain sight. the problem is that he has always been unsure what that something actually is. he’s been given bread crumbs over the years, bits and pieces of information that don’t truly create a full picture but give him enough of an understanding that he can play along. clearly, whatever they are doing is big enough to spin a story about murder and mad science, and earl caught on early that the story being peddled is just that: a story. he may not be privy to all of the details, but something far worse had happened at fort hemlock that night. something that involved a handful of then-teens, and not just the four written about in the news, but the ones that government officials continue to press him and the police department to surveil.
by the time they reach their intended destination, dr. stoker’s voice is muffled under the sound of his ears ringing. earl has no idea what was waiting on the other side of those elevator doors, but knows nothing good could come out of it. it’s as if the air had shifted, grown thicker; they’re heading under water, and he’s slowly losing oxygen.
what he is met with is unexpected, to put it simply. part of him expected to walk into something straight out of a horror movie, and instead he’s guided down the hall and greeted by a shiny… wall? dr. stoker is clearly entertained by his mixture of fear and curiosity, offering answers to questions he isn’t brave enough to ask.
we call it the shimmer.
she speaks proudly, definitively, continuing as his eyes remain on it. she explains the history to him, referencing the file he had been given (heavily redacted, of course). dr. stoker recounts a time before she’d joined the team, when the construction of the base turned up a far more interesting topic of study. she recounts the earthquake that left the town with a power outage for weeks (something he remembers far too well, having been in high school when it happened), and how it hadn’t been a strange natural disaster, but done by the shimmer opening its door to them. it all sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, leaving him half expecting jeff goldblum to walk out and talk about how life finds a way. as dr. stoker continues, some unseen force all but physically pulls him in, his eyes never leaving the mixture of blue, pink, and purple staring back at him. according to the doctor, he is looking at a portal, but it feels more like a living thing, one that is watching and studying them in the same way they are watching and studying it.
it will be opening soon. five words pull him out of the trance, keep his hand from reaching out to the odd portal etched into the rocky wall. open? the explanation that follows leaves more than a few gaps, as dr. stoker clearly chooses her words carefully, knowing just how much to tell him and how much to keep close to the vest. it’s then that she details the pattern to him: that every twenty years the shimmer opens for a few short weeks; that they’re preparing for it to open this summer, that a team is training for when the time comes. the thought creates knots in his stomach, fearful of what could be lingering on the other side. dr. stoker alludes to the ‘world beyond them’, not explicitly saying the words but leaving him to infer the obvious: there are creatures living on the other side of the shimmer, in a world they’re still fighting to understand.
brows furrow as dr. stoker insists on the importance of his ‘role’, that it’s imperative that he continues to keep up the charade, as it will be more difficult to keep the public occupied as they get closer to the shimmer’s opening.
she doesn’t elaborate. he’s too afraid to ask.
instead, his attention remains on the shimmer: the steady pulse of it, as if it has its own heartbeat. the colors blend together, shining enough to make him feel the need to squint slightly. despite the bright colors and unassuming look to it, it creates an entirely new and overwhelming fear within him, one that he fears could swallow him whole if he watches the shimmer for too long. everyone in this town has every right to fear fort hemlock, as far as he’s concerned.
a beat passes before he speaks up again, interrupting her vague explanation with what feels like an obvious question. did this thing have something to do with that bellworth girl’s death? dr. stoker hesitates for a moment too long, almost surprised by him bringing up the topic, before giving him an uncomfortably rehearsed smile as she denies any kind of involvement. with the slight shift in her demeanor, he feels inclined to believe her. he knows teddy’s death wasn’t some kind of animal attack, but it’s even more unsettling to know it didn’t have to do with fort hemlock.
it’s then that she chooses to remind him of the importance of the continued surveillance of ‘the others’, and that she will not tolerate any interruption to the research her team has spent decades on. earl nods, swallowing the lump forming in his throat, unable to come up with something charming or clever to say. the tension lays thick, everything going unsaid between them lingering in each shared silence. you have no other choice.
failure to comply will result in him being the next body found.
earl tries to ignore the tightness in his chest, the fear that he may be in over his head.
they continue their ‘tour’ after the words hang in the air long enough to create the proper threat, moving them deeper into the base. dr. stoker doesn’t speak as they move, but the security with them seems to take a step closer, like they’re anticipating his panic. he doesn’t retain anything else dr. stoker says, her words jumbling together as she walks through a lab. large jars of ‘specimens’ line shelves, scientists silently working on various projects despite the late hour. he notes the way they pause as he walks by, as if caught doing something they aren’t supposed to. it grows more and more difficult to breathe as he and dr. stoker circle back to the elevator, feeling the lingering gaze of everyone in the room. the doctor continues to mention ‘vital research’ and ‘the importance of mutual understanding’ as they walk, while earl nods along like he understands what she means.
dr. stoker stops short of the elevator, letting him walk on to it alone. she gives him a warm smile, telling him that she is looking forward to working more directly with him. the idea has his chest tightening, silently praying to god that he’ll never have to step foot in this place again. her parting words are what finally have his facade cracking, eyes going wide and blood running cold.
don’t forget, mayor donovan. we will be watching.
once the mayor’s porsche is kicking up dirt behind it (tires briefly losing traction over how fast he accelerates), kai and victor snap back into reality. the latter begins to move immediately, first instinct being to try and go after the mayor and demand answers. victor is only stopped by kai’s hand curling around his elbow to keep him from descending the rickety ladder. an argument follows, motivated by their own fear and confusion; one wanting to act and the other wanting to think, both struggling to make sense of what they just saw. eventually they are able to agree on one thing: they need to gather everyone together, and make a plan. they’ve just gotten their first opportunity to get answers, certain that fort hemlock and the mayor must have played some kind of role in teddy’s death.
managing to gather everyone who had been involved with the incident, they all end up at kai’s home the following evening. it’s difficult to make any sense of what’s going on, voices overlapping and interrupting one another with different questions and concerns. it parallels them a decade prior, trying to take on the world and make sense of the unexplainable. eventually, they manage to come up with the next step: four groups, four roles, one goal. one group will break into the mayor’s office, one will break into the mayor’s home, one will keep a look out on fort hemlock, and one will somehow distract the mayor during all of this. ^
they all agree that they need to act fast. it’s settled that the next evening they’ll get to the bottom of things, not wanting to wait any longer than they need to. as the evening dawns, the sun begins to set and each group gets into place, before finding themselves abruptly interrupted.
it begins with a subtle shake, feeling as though they’re on a rollercoaster headed upwards, before it grows more powerful, setting off car alarms and sending things flying off shelves. appliances start to shake so hard they move, concrete foundations threatening to crack. earthquakes aren’t a typical thing in the mid-west, but in bellworth crossing, they’re commonplace. the quake doesn’t last long, though most would say it felt like an eternity based on the magnitude. once the earth settles and the dust begins to clear, street lamps and porch lights start to flicker, buzzing for a moment before the power throughout town is cut, plunging bellworth crossing into darkness.
the unexpected ‘natural disaster’ throws a wrench in the plan, forcing the group to postpone despite protests and counter-arguements. what isn’t strange is the power outage itself, but the notable military personnel driving through the streets of town the next morning, lingering at the mayor’s office and of course, fort hemlock. in the midst of this, mayor donovan (who seems to be lacking his usual bravado, trading it for an uncharacteristic display of exhaustion) makes an announcement: even once the power returns, bellworth crossing will have a strict 10 pm curfew until further notice.
^ this will be further explained in a group task, that will be posted on sunday!
